Saturday, March 29, 2008

Space Travelers

Several nights ago, I found out that the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle were crossing my back yard at approximately 8:00 p.m. I talked my youngest son into going outside with me. Actually there were three "satellites" flying by. We waited and waited...wondering if we would actually see anything. Suddenly...there was the first one. A little white dot moving through the sky. We continued scanning the sky and about 1 minute later we saw what looked like a bright star moving across the sky. That was the International Space Station.

Then...only seconds behind it, was the space shuttle. It looked a like a bright smaller star. Suddenly a piercing bright light flashed from the shuttle...just for a second. We wondered what it was. We found out later that it was "sun glint".

I want to buy 2 chaise lounge-type chairs to put in the back yard this summer, so I can steal out at night and stare at the stars. Maybe my youngest son will join me and we'll pull a light blanket over us—up to our eyes—to keep off the mosquitos. And we'll lie there...and look up...Maybe we'll even fall asleep under the stars.

4 comments:

Dawn said...

Several things - go back and click on Bev's post. It is not sad, just very moving. It will bless you.

I totally understand how you cannot read any more sadness right now. Totally!!

I heard about the joint space station crossings, but it was going to be so early that I kind of forgot. Now I wish I'd gone out there anyway. I am so glad you saw the phenomenon. When I was in high school, we lived in a very small parsonage with 5 kids and two parents - one bathroom. Sometimes I just craved solitude, so I would go outside and sit on a lawn chair and look at the sky. It was so cathartic. I wrote about it in one of my English papers - I think it was one of the things that drew my favorite teacher ever into a more personal relationship with me. I wrote about her one time - I'll try to find it and link it to you.

Blessings, friend, on this Sabbath day. May you find rest and solace for your soul in worship today.

Dawn said...

I forgot the main thing I was going to say - I Corinthians 10:13 says (in the Message) "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it." I didn't date it, but I wrote beside it "When???"

Then II Corinthians 1:3-4 says "All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

I have told God several times that I have now gone through enough different kinds of "stuff" that I can come alongside people with enough of the same "stuff" that He can quit sending me these experiences now! But I am so glad we have "met" through our mutual "prodigal" experiences - thanks to this wonderful community of bloggers.

Susan Skitt said...

So cool! We've checked out the space station while on vacation one year. The sky is so clear in the mountains :) Sounds like a nice night together.

Dawn said...

Check out my Wordless Wednesday to answer your question!